The Difference Between Us
by bearzerken
Summary: The latest incident in Gensokyo is somehow messing with reality, causing three worlds to begin to collide in a way no one expected. Yukari, however, thinks it's prime time to rope in two specific humans from the Outside World. What could /possibly/ go wrong? [Satire / Dark]
1. Premonition

**The Difference Between Us**

 **Premonition**

* * *

White lilies stretched across the plains indefinitely, beneath the sea of flowers, the tufts of grass to most would practically be considered non-existent. A slow rain of cherry blossom petals danced as it descended, melting away when it became naked to the eye amongst the terrain, and in the midst of it all; laid a heavily wounded young woman, gritting her teeth hard as she clutched the massive wound on her stomach where blood continued to seep, and not so far in front of her stood the infamous yōkai whom started it all, that _damn_ cursed yōkai.

She knew behind that fan obscuring that yōkai's face stretched a massive devilish grin; this had been entertaining for the yōkai and that fact sickened her in the stomach, and somehow that feeling overpowered the pain—a thought of adrenaline pumping in her blood brushes past her, but she shakes it off almost immediately.

"It's a shame things have to end here, really," the yōkai spoke with that fake kind, sweet, and motherly tone she has been all too familiar with at this point, "You have been my favourite _Gappy_ , after all."

That term sent shivers down her spine regardless of the all countless times from different mouths she heard prior. "I'm...not your damn... _playtoy_!" she managed to say beneath a series of breaths, but it wouldn't matter, the yōkai would pick up on it regardless—heightened senses or something, that she remembers clearly. This _thing_ in front of her was barely human, despite everything about its appearance telling everyone none the wiser otherwise. "None of us Outsiders were meant to be in the first place, Yukari."

"Aw, don't be such a party pooper~." Yukari sang whilst clapping the fan shut, "You understand though, the residents here need this to thrive."

"Yeah..." feet wobbled against the grounds as she struggles to stand tall, "But you and me both know that you don't need people from the _outside world_ just to create incidents. Nor for...' _meat supply_.'"

"If only you weren't so aware, like the other Gappies," a massive black void started to tear into the fabric of reality next to the yōkai, eyes contained within stared into her soul. The portal is the sole thing the yōkai is very notorious for. "But it's also what I love most from my dear favourite."

What were faint sounds of train horns grew louder, and after a beat or two a light began to brighten in front of her, the earth begins to tremble and she loses her footing again. From that void a Metro train emerged and approached her at alarming fast speeds, horns were blaring rapidly now and for some reason Eurobeat music companies it, and it didn't help that the front carriage was coming at her at an odd angle like the front wheels were connected to the rail next over. Was it… _drifting_?

 _~ Speed, speed lover, games not over ~_

She didn't dare to question it nor think about it; if under different circumstances, maybe she would've.

"Sayonara, my Gappy."

 _~ Hot glitters on the track ~_

She hated that time felt ridiculously slow, every second death was creeping up. If she had to be completely honest; she'd rather it be quick and painless. This just reminds her of all the countless dreams in which running never existed, because it's always slow and she gets caught regardless of how hard she tried to hide. She hated those dreams.

 _~ Speed, speed lover, countdowns over ~_

But...maybe this was just a dumb dream and she'd wake up with a jolt upon impact.

She would've loved that.

 _~ Running to win or die~_

To be back home.

To be in her room.

…

She closes her eyes and waited.

 _*record scratch*_

 _*freeze frame*_

Yup…that's me. You're probably wondering how I got in this situation, but to be frank with you, it's a real long story. It might induce a headache though, you might find it cringy, so I recommend to order some drinks of your choice. Since we'll be here for a while the least I can do is shout you, just order me lemon-lime bitter for now, maybe I'll have some bourbon on the rocks down the line.

Are you feeling comfortable yet?

Good.

Well, my friend, it all started in the spring of 201X...

* * *

*forgot some words and changed some, changed how words after ... presented

[AN VER 2.0]

Welcome to my contribution to April Fools, but also is a project in the making for a very long while, so it's also not a story for April Fools.

Originally this Authors Note was longer than needed, so aside from minor changes to this premonition mostly in wording and changing hyphens to em-dashes, I'm shortening the explanation up so it overpowers the chapter.

Either way, welcome or welcome back to The Difference Between Us, this a satire / dark Touhou X Persona 4 fic inspired by Youtube Walfas series "Diamond In The Rough". Like the stories inspiration, it aims to make fun of self-insert / OC fic cliches, tropes in general, take the piss out of the original version of TDBU and attempt to tell a compelling story all at the same time. Throughout the story, we will be switching between our two protagonists each chapter for the most part, and the style of writing changes to match the original writing style.

Originally this was a story written by me and another person circa 2014-2015, where we had our own versions being told in our POV. It remained incomplete, and mess riddled with plotholes, but it was fun. So after getting the ok ages ago leads to now, where I have been endlessly reworking this story, desperate to finish the tale. Maybe one day I'll post the original.

Naturally being M rated and a dark fic, this will contain a lot of edgy stuff; suicidal tendencies/thoughts, self-harm, death, gore, _lots_ of swearing are few I can name at the time, I will try to put a content warning when necessary, but some _will_ be a fake-out. This fic will also a) make light of and b) be handled _very_ poorly by characters on occasion. If you feel uncomfortable with any of that, I recommend to not continue any further.

Things also just might seem very oddly written, considering the theme of the incident in Gensokyo that I've chosen. So if you feel there was a plothole or retcon, it was very likely intentional.

Regardless I hope you enjoy your time with this shit fest of a story as I do writing it.


	2. CH1: White Noise

[AN]

It's been more than a year, hi. I'll talk a bit more about it post-chapter, but since I'm not sure if fanfiction lets people know there was an update with a previous chapter, I at least wanted to mention to any returning readers, that the previous chapter was minorly changed, I mostly shortened the authors note at the end, making it a bit shorter.

As a general warning since it may feel a bit hidden in the last one; this fic naturally contains various dark themes. I will try to put a content warning when necessary but some will be a fake-out. If you feel a chapter required a warning where I didn't provide one, feel free to let me know.

Regardless, please enjoy the chapter.

* * *

 **The Difference Between Us**

 **Chapter 1**  
 **White Noise**

[?]

* * *

Without warning, a series of a blaring musical jingle caused her to jolt awake with a cold sweat. She had to immediately shield her eyes from a strong, bright light in front of her while gasping for air, and almost, just almost does a swear slip from her lips, but instead, she inhales a hiss. In the background of 'recovering', a throbbing migraine hammered away at her head, having to grasp at her forehead as bearings return slowly.

Everything normalizes for the most part when she finally rises up, pain coursing through her body, various objects on a desk unblurring into existence. She looks at the well-lit monitor first, then the TV not so far to the right of it, a line of dots fading on and off from a device; Google Home Mini, the alarm source. She still has a tough time processing the information, but at least bearings are finally realized. For some reason or another, she isn't on her bed.

Even so, she doesn't bother to search within her memories; she never remembers. Fell asleep at the computer desk, probably had an alarm for some Nintendo Direct, maybe E3, or perhaps EVO is _finally_ here and she can finally get to watch UNIST at _the_ biggest tournament scene! ...Those were the excuses she came up with, and to be frank it probably wasn't too far off the truth.

"Ok, Google, stop," she watches a trail of dots this time from Google Home Mini eventually fade out, the alarms tune still ringing constantly. "Ok, Google. Stop," her voice coarser this time, still, it continues, and she stomps one foot, almost tumbling over herself when the floor seemed to twist and dip like jelly. "Oh my God, you've got to be-... Ok, _Google_. Stop." Even that doesn't work and she's throwing her arms in the air.

It takes her an embarrassingly long time before Google Home Mini finally complies to her voice. She really should throw this thing out, especially more so after her impression with Google has been deteriorating. If she could get a few bucks from selling it to a pawn shop, that'd be even better. She takes a couple of arm and leg stretches, pain flaring up as she does; it intensifies ten-fold in the brief moments as she sits back down.

 _I feel like I got rammed by a train._

She isn't really sure why she compares it to a train when normally the saying is with a truck instead. Attempting to wool-gather at any dreams or nightmares she had was fruitless, it's all a haze as every passing day was. Even if it was clear, she'd have to follow 'routine' by taking the time to jot down every detail she could recall from her dreams and log the sleeping hours. Hopes to improve short-term memory loss as advised by her psychologist.

Except, with the killer migraine she's currently having, and issues with something as basic as thinking made it too much of a hassle to even bother. Almost as if by coincidence or God's command, a bottle barely containing a clear liquid—definitely not water, she knows that for a fact—focused into existence as did her computer equipment prior, despite it being there, in her sight nonetheless. She understands now, with a perfunctory nod and pursed-lips.

Makes more sense now; being intoxicated that is. She never had the pleasure or permission to drink to drunkenness, being naturally tolerant due to inheriting genes from Dad or however it works. And well, everyone wants to prevent her from doing so. Regardless, being drunk or hungover or whatever was something…completely new to her.

She pours herself another shot, emptying whatever's left of the bottle, it's not enough to fill the small glass. She gulps it down as fast as she slams the glass back on the desk, and clicks her tongue in frustration.

Nothing.

There was nothing to taste.

Not anymore.

It doesn't matter how many or how strong the drink was, it'll never, _ever_ , satisfy the fact that sake no longer contains that taste she once savoured very favourably. She had to go out of her way into the depths of the city and spend a bit more _just_ for the specific brands. The only saving grace was that it still burns up her body, eventually turning her brain to mush as it tumbles her vision and balance, and everything and anything after it if she manages to get totally wasted.

As long as it does continue to do so, then that alone gave her enough purpose to continue purchasing sake.

What a fool she was.

Even when there's nothing left, she still tries to take another sip, still tries to pour even a slither of sake. She's done so countless times throughout the day, even when it was more full; that detail she randomly recalls out of nowhere.

At this point of time, she really doesn't want to admit it's empty, not yet at least. For some reason, she really thinks that shaking the thing will make it full magically again. No… It's more like she just wants an excuse to drink more.

 _He would be disgusted if I went ahead to empty another bottle._

But, who was to say he needed to find out about her slight drinking habit? She scoffs at that idea, 'slight' was really pushing the line, at this stage, she's long-established being an alcoholic. And no make-believe she makes up will save face.

It _is_ still leagues better than her previous destructive habit at least.

At least… that's what she loves to delude herself with.

A hefty sigh is puffed into the air while she takes a set of headphones and dons it. Some guy talking whose playing a game is what immediately fills her ears; it's from the livestream that's still being displayed on that TV. She always mindlessly listened to every visit she paid the streamer, only mildly surprised that they were still going, still on that Touhou marathon since…sometime yesterday was it?

Some time is spent soullessly staring into the voids of the ceiling, slouching more into the chair, when she's back from her musings, she shoots a glance to the time in the monitor; 23:37, it read, still surprised like any previous time, that the computer is set to military time. She doesn't want to put the effort into changing it back, it was more aesthetically pleasing this way anyway. With a few swift motions with the mouse, she opens up a window of Granblue Fantasy, returning to the grind of senselessly repeating the same raid over, and over again, as she has since the event went up.

The event, Unite and Fight—everyone calls it Guild War, however—was going to be on halt by 1 AM, as it does per schedule, and she figured, now that hitting the hay was off the list, grinding for more tokens would be the best way to kill time for now.

There was nothing else to do anyway.

Nothing left to really look forward to.

...Anything that wasn't relating to games somehow at least.

That thought caused her eyes to shift over to a large stack of papers sitting on the same cabinet that the TV stands on, the mere sight and thought of them immediately vexed her; it was mocking her. She finally takes the effort to place them in a plastic bag hanging off crudely between some drawers of a dress at the left of the room, not that far that the headphone wires would stop her. The 'trash' was the proper place for them to be. ...Or at least what her poor man's variant of it was.

She undeniably doesn't want to be reminded.

They were gathering too much dust anyway.

When she's done, she returns back to playing again, at some point she pops up another window situating it side-by-side of Granblue Fantasy's window, so she can go back-and-forth between both windows; playing in one, and browsing the web on the other. She only really needed to queue up the skills and load up the raid again, the rest can be automated. And as background noise to fill the otherwise void; still the livestream from earlier, every once in a while she types in chat.

After listening for a while, she found that today in particular for some explicit reason, was unfortunate for the streamer. Least that's what she thinks. While it was an inside joke between them and their small community of close-knit viewers; including herself, she wished that they moved on from talking about the recurring incidents all day long.

The internet really had way too much fun with it; ever since the beginning. An ongoing unsolved case of kidnappings, _disappearances_ to be more specific, across the globe. And honestly? People going missing has been commonplace for a _long, long_ time; only in Japan exclusively, however. Some actually eventually returned, some don't, and back then, there was no correlation between the victims, they just hypnotically wandered to the rural areas of Japan and wandered way too deep into the mountains. Where they remained a mystery—'survivors' could never respond when asked—although rumours of travelling to some alternative world circulated the net, as all things did.

Ever since it went worldwide, it only got even stranger; people just _vanish_ whilst inside their own homes, and every time the detectives came they arrived at the same conclusion; everything remained the same as it did prior, seemingly untouched, no evidence of trespassers and no indication of the victims leaving on their own. Internet folks ate it up like candy and there are forums only dedicated to doing their own detective work.

They were really passionate about it, so much so that they found a connection this time around. Nothing that relevant to affect investigations, but it was something and they held that up like a trophy.

It did also meant constantly hearing about it everywhere, and boy, it's… _god-awfully_ obnoxious.

She immediately regrets the train of thought, as coincidentally the streamer begins to talk about the same topic, "...the latest victim, huh?" She's rolling her eyes, yet she begrudgingly listens in any way, if it meant being able to avoid the torture of the news plastered everywhere. "4chan predicted since the beginning man, that over time the connection gets watered up. The cops didn't care about it since the beginning, but remember when we started with _literally_ hentai artists as victims? Yeah, me too. Could someone pull me his IGN again?"

The same name gets repeated multiple times over, and over again, albeit with different sentences attached to them, but to her, all that existed was the name, and even then she still can't process it as fact, not until the streamer says; "Ah yeah, Likkyzero. I've seen that name before a few times actually, only in RP threads, it's the only place you'll find him for the most part. Think he…loved the fairies in particular for some reason?

If she was the type to smoke, she would've lit one up to that, and well, she can't toast to it either, so she sighs as a substitute.

 _What are the damn odds?_

" **I know him personally,"** she what she initially wrote in the chatbox, until she deletes the message entirely. **"Does his real name happen to be—"** she deletes that too and sighs again, heavier than the previous. She doesn't want to participate in the conversation, hell, she's still unable to believe it's true or if it was some kind of cruel joke that karma wanted to play.

Discord takes up the majority of the screen now, finding it ironic (applicable or not) that she would be reaching out to a certain someone, but she desperately wanted closure. A man who goes by the username 'Toshixero' who she knows, for a _fact_ , will know the answer.

Brothers really do love to have something in common. Least they did.

" **is it true that lee's missing?"**

She didn't have to wait too long for a response, time zones were a bit of a nuisance but it's not bad at this time.

" **Yeah, Lik Heng's missing"** —naturally, the brother refers to him by his actual name instead of the nickname she assigned him— **"Mom said he went missing a couple of days ago, and well… the police said there was nothing to imply a kidnapping or that he went off on his own so…"**

She doesn't bother to read the rest.

 _He really is gone then, huh?_

Deep down, she really felt conflicted on how to feel about it.

That sure left a sour taste in her mouth.

The cursor hovers over a different username now: Aster. She entertained herself with the thought of breaking the news to him momentarily, then she throws that idea into an imaginary bin in a beat. She checks her phone, the object still laying on the desk, he was still present via phone call, coming to the conclusion that he's asleep, either that or he's playing Warframe or Dawn of War II, mindful to not disturb her. Then she remembers that Aster probably won't dabble in a conversation regarding Lik Heng in any way.

She didn't exactly enjoy it either.

Minutes went by a blur when she returns grinding again, at some point she begins hearing what sounded like chains rattling, progressively getting louder by the second, not much she'd known, however. She confirms it wasn't originating from the stream when she gave a glance, nor were there any signs of it from auto-playing ads in a tab, it wouldn't and shouldn't regardless, considering her browser settings. When the headphones come off, she certainly wasn't expecting it to still be present, it's certainly louder now.

"I dwell amidst the abounding light of the moon…" now there was a voice echoing throughout her room, and thanks to being intoxicated she isn't sure how to react to this, except to rise from the seat slowly. At this point, she wants to consider herself hallucinating. "Thou art the gates to the subaqueous voids. Come forth, gods of the blood tongue!"

As if on cue, chains and strings of the same sharp, vivid red shot across in every angle, from all sorts of points of the room, and when she looks behind, all her belongings and furniture are completely bound already. Everything begins to fog up, literally. Although she can't tell if it's fog or mist, the difference is lost, either way, there was some non-existent smoke machine coating her room with either. She'll just call it smoke. It's easier that way.

She's swatting at the air desperately, it only got worse. A rush of wind whizzes beside her, either another set of chains or strings, maybe both, it's lost in a sea of smoke regardless, so she felt inclined to try to feel it up, thinking if she breaks it something will happen. It felt…scaly and slimy. Definitely not a chain or string, least a natural one. "What the heck is that…?"

"Child, whom fate hath chooseth… Indignation!"

The smoke engulfed the room completely now, and the longer she was standing there, lost in her own room, the more her consciousness was fading away. The floor beneath her is wavering again, she felt like she needed to see-saw her balance in order to stay up-right, proving to be a real struggle. She takes a step and immediately regrets it, the floor becomes liquid-like and she's collapsing to the floor.

She swears she spotted a red moon and the bat that flies on by.

She doesn't get the chance to feel the ground once it was lights out.

…

The smoke clears out over time, but it doesn't dally when it's clear the chains and strings that littered the room prior seemed to went with it. Everything that it originally attached to remain in its place, untouched.

The girl, however—much like the rest, and much like Lik Heng—was gone.

…

…

…

On a bedside table across from the TV, the clock ticks to 12:00 AM.

As if by command, the TV and monitor simultaneously turn to white static, it clears up to a scenery eventually. It's somewhere deep underwater, with a vast array of colours in the form of diverse and countless amounts of coral and sea life. In the far distance, the silhouette of a gigantic sunken ship is just blobs of grey, almost blurring amongst the backdrop of the sea. Bubbles, small and large flutter upwards to the surface, wherever that is.

Petals of pink and white also float about mindlessly, many manage to land on the seabed, with the coral it's hardly noticeable. Despite how crowded it was, one can still spot occasional tombstones that the depths seemed desperate to cover.

A ray of sunlight, however, was casting on a peculiar helmet. For the most part, it's coloured black, the mouthpiece being white, and the accents that separate them and both halves of the circular amber visor, and from the top-centre, the red protrudes upwards a bit; two fin-esque shaped antennas. A glimmer of light shines off a rectangular-eclipse green in the stripe of white between the visor and red.

A distorted voice of a girl pulsates in the sea, **"Don't dive into the depths of the deceased, this is no place for land-dwellers. You still have a wonderful future to be had, after all."**

Words in large slowly form on the screen.

 **OPEN YOUR EYES**

 **FOR THE NE5̴g̴8̷5̴#̶4̵2̷o̵0̶*̵**

 **4̵͇͆6̷̣͂$̶̞̈4̴̝̑n̷̜̄1̶̥̑4̶̰̌9̴͍̿█████**

In the mayhem of glitches, a symbol of some kind flashes very briefly.

The TV and monitor shut off in a blink.

* * *

[AN]

This chapter honestly gave me a lot of trouble for the last year, with how I wanted to approach it, as did planning the later parts of the story since there were several changes I made from the original storyboard. Everything should be a bit more smooth sailing from here, but if I disappear for a while, you know what happened, haha.

I also want to mention that each chapter from the next will be titles of songs, to match with the mood of the chapter or as an insert-song or theme of sorts. This chapters "song" is just white noise, since to be frank with you, I couldn't find one to fit it.

I'll see you guys next time. Whenever that will be!


	3. CH2: Fairytale

**The Difference Between Us  
**

 **Chapter 2  
** **Fairytale  
** (Alexander Rybak)

[Lik Heng]

* * *

I'm Lik Heng Wong, but everyone calls me Likky.

I've been lost in this forest ever since _the_ Yukari Yakumo gapped me into the world of Gensokyo.

At first, I thought it was some sick prank by some cosplayer, but it really was the real thing!

It's still hard to believe she's entrusting me with a task on such a grand scale...

Can I really help save Gensokyo and other fictional worlds from merging with my own? I'm just a normal person...

I can't let her down, she's gambled it all on me!

But I don't want to end up as meat for Rumia or something before my adventure has even started...

* * *

" _If our worlds fully merge, well... I can only imagine the total chaos and mayhem it will bring about. I sincerely ask you to aid me. You're the only one that I can ask to do so."_

" _But what can someone like me to do help? I'm just a normal person."_

" _That may be so here in the Outside World, but in Gensokyo, you know it'd be different, regardless of the yōkai's current meddlings. You; Lik Heng 'Likky' Wong, have the potential. I can feel it. Please..."_

" _Oi, what about time? They will miss me you know!"_

It's been several hours—maybe even days—since Lik Heng had arrived at Gensokyo, all thanks to Yukari's powers. To make up for the lack of sounds as he wondered, the conversation he had with her seemed to always replay in his head since he'd forgotten to put music on his mobile phone. Yet somehow, it always changes every time he started over from the top.

None of them was how it went down in truth; he struggled with words, but Yukari somehow managed to remain patient with him. That he was grateful for.

Still, he had yet to cross paths with any of Gensokyo's people that he was so familiar with, and not even a single entity he'd call an enemy was about—no form of Shadows despite Yukari describing Gensokyo to be infested with them, least since Gensokyo became the TV World from Persona 4. At least that's what he vaguely remembers her saying.

It's come to the point where he begins to imagine being devoured by the likes of Rumia, a thought he originally despised. Even so, Yukari chose him. He can't fall here, and he probably can't within the time he'll be present here. However long that might end up being.

He's still rather irritated. Everything looked the same no matter where he went; trees here, bushes there, and aside from the floral life, Gensokyo didn't seem to have any animals or insects roaming about. He really didn't want to believe this empty forest was Gensokyo.

It was meant to be filled to the brim with _life_.

At least…

That's how he always imagined Gensokyo to be.

Yet here he stands, feeling he never left Earth to begin with.

Then again, Gensokyo supposedly is somewhere within Japan. That's his headcanon at least.

Lik Heng couldn't help but wonder what was taking his supposed rescuers so long, Yukari _did_ warn him, even if it were at the last minute, that due to the state of Gensokyo, her power couldn't function fully and yadda-yadda... Still, he had to wander around the forest always on guard, worried that something _will_ eventually happen if they took too long.

It wasn't fair, but he couldn't really exactly complain about it, it was still so ridiculous. Besides, what could be said to Yukari? If he couldn't manage to talk to her, how could he tell her he'd want to go back? That's even assuming he would ever meet up with her again.

Lost in his thoughts, he trips against something and tumbles about, the forces of gravity and physics taking the lead of his movements. Weirdly enough, he never fell onto the ground like he thought would happen.

When it stops, he sighs in relief, one hand pressing against his chest, feeling his heartbeat return to normal slowly. He excepted some stick, trunk or vines to be the source when he turns back.

His first guess was half right.

"I certainly don't recall taking you with me," he takes the wooden sword in his hands and inspects every angle, brushing off every dirt and muck, as disgusted as he was to do so. It's the very thing he practises swings and took photos with various poses back home. One of his most prized possessions. _Hmm, I appreciate the gift Yukari, but I don't it'll help much,_ he thought before setting off once again.

It was far better than being unarmed, that's for sure. With no sheath or sling, however, he had to make do with tucking it in the space between his belt and pants, holding it in his hands was too tiring. It sat stiff and the hilt jabs at his hips when he walks, but it will have to do; he needs to continue moving.

At some point, he spotted something in the distance; a red arch of some sorts. Coming closer to it, a patch of grass disappears as a footpath of bricks took its place instead, He felt like he should recognize this arch when it's right in front of him now, but it still hasn't clicked yet.

There's a small run-down hut of sorts further down the road, as it largens into his sight he finally recognizes it; Hakurei Shrine. He should've known that the torii from earlier only meant one thing. Well, technically it could mean _two_ things, but the torii at Moriya Shrine made of stone...or was it wood? He doesn't remember, he just knows it's not red.

The shrine was somehow in a worse state than usual—least as the games presented. It's heavily damaged; holes and missing planks spread throughout, moss had overtaken most of the pillars, and there are cobwebs in every corner. He doesn't feel at ease being here, but hopefully, the shrine maiden, Reimu Hakurei, was home.

"Um... Reimu-san...?" Lik Heng calls into Hakurei Shrine, his voice echoed a bit. He isn't quite sure if Japanese honorifics—he realized his mistake and goes into a whisper. "Er, maybe I should be referring to her as _Hakurei-san_ instead...?" he shook his head, the fancy honorifics and stuff can come later. He calls into the shrine again, "Is anyone home? Or... _here_ more like?"

Nothing came in response.

It's hard to believe that Hakurei Shrine would feel like something in a horror flick.

He didn't exactly want to enter the shrine; he felt it would be rude to Reimu while she was away. Even Aunn wasn't present, or the other residents he recalls being at Hakurei Shrine, like the Three Fairies of Light, or Clownpiece. He assumed they too, were all away at the moment. Either way, he decided to explore the area surrounding Hakurei Shrine instead.

Lik Heng was mostly interested in the warehouse that's a bit off to the side, while he knew of its existence, it was certainly rare to see it in the games. He didn't have the courage to enter as he did with the shrine itself. It wasn't anything special, but seeing it in 'real-life' made it all the better.

There was also the statues in front of the shrine. His understanding about it was that at some point Reimu built them for the two gods at Moriya Shrine; Kanako and Suwako. On one of the statues, there was a weird communication device with a green and white logo, most likely of Kappa origin, if he had to guess. Without thinking, he presses one of the buttons, and it plays a doorbell sound.

What a weird spot for a doorbell.

Did Reimu really need such thing?

"I guess I should just wait here then..." he mutters to himself, tapping his foot against the floor, not paying attention to the sound of footsteps getting closer to him.

" **And thus, the journey of the Hero comes to a screeching halt. What a weak, pathetic early game."** Lik Heng's shock only intensified when his eyes meet a splitting image of himself, while it also had his voice, it spoke with some kind of filter attached.

The doppelganger had his body and face down to the bone, the only difference being it had intense golden eyes, and an aura that only spelt malice, its attire was also completely different, but he recognizes it immediately, and it makes his stomach churn.

A long leather coat draping from the elbows accompanied simple silver armour—long worn from battle—over the top of a simple black shirt, denim jeans and dress shoes. Ice covered parts of the body; the right arm was frozen up to the forearm; makeshift gauntlets, and some other armour parts, such as the pauldron were made of ice where some of it seeped onto the breastplate. On one hand, it held a long lance of ice, decorated with intricate engravings.

The Knight of the Frozen Lance— _himself—_ from his stories was standing there.

He wanted to puke.

" **It'd be nice to start a New Game from the beginning... Don't you think, me?"**

" _Brother…? What are you..."_ Lik Heng rubs his eyes from beneath his glasses, the shock was still messing with his vision somehow. "B-Bro…? No...that's m-me?" his mouth shakes as words hardly came out, silence now filling the voids as he stares at his Shadow Self.

 _It comes to the point where he decides to break the silence, deciding now is the time to put his idea into play. "So you are my Shadow? Are you worth being my Shadow? Are you able to be me?" Lik Heng continues relentlessly, his other self unable to speak._

" _Do you know the true weakness of being a Shadow? Do you think I would fall for such a trick? All you have to do is admit...you're not my Shadow; the true self. You are but merely a part of me I cannot accept...so...will you join me in my fights as my Shadow? I will need your power. But not as a Persona, plus a second me could be convenient, don't you agree? Me?" He hoped his words would reach his Shadow._

 _Surprisingly, the Shadow responds with something Lik Heng didn't quite expect...it began to panic due to the words he had used,_ _ **"Y-You… Who are you?! Who do you think you are—**_

" **It's easy to play pretend, isn't it, Hero?"** Lik Heng was brought back to reality, having a difficult time breathing all of a sudden, only now realising that his Shadow Self was quite literally holding him by the neck. **"After all, in the realms of fantasy, this Knight of the Frozen Lance can reign supreme!"**

"Stop it…" Lik Heng managed to choke out, unable to stop himself from crying. A wave of air fills his lungs when he was finally released from his Shadow's grasps, laying on the ground helpless.

His Shadow shrugs with an evil grin, chuckling. **"There never will be a day when you'll wake up from the world of dreams, will there?"** The Shadow squatted downwards, eyes stared into Lik Heng's very soul. **"Imagine; A Hero that can't achieve anything worth shit in the real world, so you ran away into Imaginary Land instead. Despite all this time, you are still but a Level 1 Goon. A child stuck in a man's body;** _ **puer aeternus.**_ **"**

 _I don't know what that means..._

It stands again, kicking at the dirt, Lik Heng couldn't help but notice there's a distant melancholy in its eyes. **"If I could be as powerful as I am in fiction...then I'd be the charismatic Hero everyone adores—one truly worth of Yukari's gamble."** It sighs and throws a punch at the air. **"How foolish, as if saving the world would ever clean stained hands."**

Lik Heng couldn't help but frown and scowl, more in confusion rather than anger. "What are you talking about?" He still couldn't talk well above a whimper.

 **"You** _ **left**_ **everyone. Betrayed them; ditched them into a chest and tucked them underneath your bed, never played with ever again. And that Witch? When she trusted you and loved you more than anyone ever could, you took out a dagger and stabbed her behind the back.**

 **"You've played the scene where you serve your crimes in various ways. It's like some sick twisted fetish—much like your silly fantasies with various 2D anime chicks because you'll die a lonely** _ **virgin**_ **that somehow fucked his only chance to lose his V-Card. A death somehow worse than being beheaded by the Witch herself. How is that even possible?"**

Despite its cryptic ways of speaking, Lik Heng was at least smart enough to recognize what this was all about; what his Shadow Self well represented. Despite his pent up guilt, despite his deep desires to be punished for his misdeeds, despite his wishes to live in fantasy over reality, he doesn't want to admit nor accept this version of him.

For all he cared, this… _thing_ doesn't and never existed. The fact it was dressed in the very thing he wore in the stories, didn't convince him otherwise.

"That's…a lie! I didn't leave anyone behind-... I didn't betray her! You're nothing but an imposter!" he didn't know where this courage came from, or if he could even call it that and it was just another mere tantrum when things don't go his way instead. "You're not me! You're not the Knight of the Frozen Lance I created!"

The Shadow explodes into a fit of maniacal laughter, aura intensifies into a crisp, sharp crimson, **"Hahaha! I feel it! I can feel everyone giving me their energy! And I'll use this power to defeat you; Faker!"**

The energy swells before a monstrosity burst from within the clouds; a lifeless figure fitted with a crown sits on a velvet red throne; the clear cockpit in the brains of a human head made entirely of mannequin scraps, shimmering ice crawled up from the neck and coated the cracks, keeping it all in mends.

 **"I'm a shadow; the true self. I'll clear this stage with no continues! Now…how should I defeat this boss?"**

Swords made of the same ilk of mannequin scraps materialized from thin air, surrounding Lik Heng at every angle. There's one that playfully jabs at his Adam's apple, which seemed to bulge way more than he wished it didn't.

"Sorry, Yukari…" he shuts his eyes, thinking how he absolutely wasted Yukari's gamble. He surely deserved this death one way or another. He isn't exactly prepared to die, but who was to save him now?

"Ma'at, please!" following the voice of a female, something akin to small bell chimes tinkled. Lik Heng wasn't sure how to explain it, but he soon felt light radiating into his skin and around him. Soon he heard swords clattered against the floors, and he didn't feel the presence of something about to decapitate him.

His eyes fluttered open; curious. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing right there and then, he almost has forgotten how he was in another world. Almost.

Reimu Hakurei, the shrine maiden in red and white was right there in front of him, saving his sorry ass. She's accompanied by what he thinks is no doubtfully her Persona, however she acquired such power.

 **"Ah. Here comes a new challenger,"** Lik Heng's Shadow states with vicious venom coatings. **"Better make your last life worth it; it'll be your last."**

"You must be the Gappy Yukari brought, we didn't mean to keep you waiting." Reimu bows slightly to Lik Heng, surprisingly void of any emotion and no mind to the beast in front of them. He raised brows when noticing heavy bags under her eyes but he couldn't question the maiden when she immediately flew off into battle, her Persona followed like an after image, literally and figuratively.

She's firing endless barrages of the very bullets she does in-game, although with her Persona's aid instead of Yin-Yang orbs. Lik Heng couldn't help but gush internally at the sight. It really _was_ a dream come true.

He decided there and then, that accepting Yukari's invitation to save the world was totally well worth it.

When a hand appears in his vision, he returns back to 'reality'. His eyes follow up the arm, the sight of Marisa Kirisame only tumbled his head in excitement. He was enjoying this way too much. "Ya all g, Gappy?" he smiles at her contagious grin and takes her hand. It was so soft and dainty, surprisingly strong too with how swiftly she pulls him to his feet with little effort.

"Stick by Alice, alright?" his nod to Marisa is more rapid-paced this time, she almost laughs with how ridiculous it looked. She turns and flicks her hand at him, her Persona materializes, and all Lik Heng saw next was puffs of dust and an outline of where the two used to be. "Help Reimu out! Eris!"

Trying to find Marisa and Reimu amidst the bullet-hell battle was like finding a needle in a haystack, but he figured they were winning. They had to after all.

"It has no weaknesses, just resistant to the usual." with a twirl of his head, he finds Alice Margatroid standing beside him, and the outlandish doll she hugs was nothing like her usual Shanghai and Hourai dolls. _Is...that what her Persona looks like?_

"Got it!" Reimu's figure could be seen weaving between arrays of hailing icy stalactites, despite the distance, Lik Heng saw a glimmer against a card that was in her hands, hard to miss since she's raising it high into the air. "Divine Spirit; 'Fantasy Seal!'"

Gigantic orbs that beamed with colour emerge from Ma'at, the Shadow erupts suddenly with a large explosion upon a direct hit, and a cry so defeated followed. When the smoke dissipates, it already reverted back to its original form. Reimu floated scratching at her hair, her Persona disappears into the air. Alice's voice floats to her ears, "Shadow…uh…exterminated I suppose? Good job Reimu." Even Alice was uncertain with how odd it was. The Shadows don't fall this easy.

Marisa's whine was heard miles away, and Lik Heng found her poking his other self's body with the ends of her broom, a frown on her lips and brows. "C'mon…get up. You need to lemme hit you too…"

"Come on, Marisa. No time for child's play." Reimu called, gliding downwards towards Alice and Lik Heng. Marisa, however, stomped like a giant.

The girls gathered in a line in front of Lik Heng, who was still star-struck. It was a bit weird, looking down on them; being a head taller and then some. Maybe if he was still in his teens they'd match heights more.

They all looked at him expecting something, were they waiting for something? In his peripheral vision, he remembered the existence of his Shadow, wounds from its words still fresh and deep. It's disgusting to look at, only due to how vulnerable he felt. How would they view him after this?

"That thing isn't me…" Lik Heng murmured, it was meant to be a passing thought instead. The girls continued to stare, Reimu's eyes, in particular, isn't something he likes staring at. She looked so…what's the word...?

Forget it.

She looked as deadpan as Patchouli is on a daily basis is what he could best describe it as.

"That guy isn't me." Lik Heng repeats, nose still sniffling. Gods, he must look horrible with bloodshot eyes and a bead of snot dry like the trail of tears above his lips. "He—"

"Yeah...no." Marisa interrupted, slams her hands onto his shoulders, and starts walking him with a slight push behind his back. Lik Heng didn't do much in protest and only looked around in horror as if Marisa could see it. "You ain't doin' yourself that. It's just 'nother aspect of you, ya gots-ta accept."

Hearing Marisa with something akin to Labrys' accent in the English dub was really weird. He really wouldn't have it any other way, and to be honest, it's somewhat endearing too, but he feared it'll get old real fast as fast he'll get used to it.

He nods absentmindedly, his other self stands up on its feet when he arrives, _("It's true, I knew it was my Shadow Self, and initially I even wanted to talk my way out of it, yet now for some reason, I find it hard to actually admit it, perhaps because I'm worried about how I might seem to them?")_ his mouth trembles as words instead creaked; "A-Another part of me…"

 _Cha-cha real smooth._

"Rise-san?" Alice's voice crept from the back, quieter thanks to distant, but he heard it nonetheless. He turns and saw a small thunderstorm gather around her doll, it crackles and pops with yellow streaks, but seemed no harm. He saw Reimu inch closer to Alice before Marisa forced his head to his Shadow again, pointing at it with such emphasis he didn't know was possible. Then Marisa was gone.

("Is it about the other Gappy?" Alice continued.)

Lik Heng was in the middle of accepting his other self as whatever conversation behind him transpires, "What's there to say...other th-than you were right...? You-...you were right. I don't-... What...to say...?"

(His monologue to himself was riddled with pauses and in-audible whispers that the girls didn't pay mindful attention to. Rise's voice from amidst the thunderstorm in stark comparison was loud and clear. "Well we're here, but...the _Palace_ is invisible. And we ran into this cat—"

(The shrill scream of a boyish voice cuts in suddenly, causing the clouds to shoot cracks of lightning. "I keep telling you! I'm not a cat!")

"I just wanted to live somewhere I belong—I just wanted to live... I-I just wanted to escape from the real world." He fumbles and twiddles with his fingers, his face burns from embarrassment. "Yeah... I just wanted to escape. Wanted to escape."

(Rise isn't trying to suppress her giggles at all, "I'm sorry Mona-chan, I promise not to bully you anymore." She clears her throat before continuing, "Anyway, he told us everything we needed to know about Palace, completely different from the dungeons that we normally deal with, you see. We can't get in unless we get some keywords—look, just get your butts here ASAP, I like to avoid reexplaining it."

("Alright," Alice nods, "We'll rendezvous shortly, Gappy One is about to awaken his Persona.")

"To this day... I still...still have regrets. Regrets about..." Lik Heng sighs, slamming both palms against his cheeks, it leaves a stinging red mark. "I wanted to pay for what I had done. Done to my friends and... to my...my...t-to my... _ex_... If I can even...even call her that," he tightens his fists and grimaced at the very words he spoke. "Especially not after I treated her. N-Not after screwing everything up."

He sighs, reminiscing the fateful day he travelled across the globe. Thinking back, he wasn't really sure why he really went, even if she asked specifically for him to attend her graduation party. Sure screwed all first impressions her family had of him, it gives him a rueful smile thinking about the odd looks when his table manners were insufficient for the occasion. Poking at his food like he didn't know something as simple as cutting meat.

Gods, why was he like that?

Not to mention the time he acted like a bumbling buffoon in the presence of her only best friend that lived in the same continent! If he could bury his head into his hands, roll up and die.

"I always use the excuse of being a third-wheel for how much I sucked at talking to others..." his laugh was pitiful. "Time to wake up, huh? Can't keep running away from reality all the time... Right, me?"

His Shadow Self nods, it's doleful, but there's a small hint of glistening hope; the only beam of light well deep underground. It radiates with a nice blue light, before being enveloped and transforms in it. The new form explodes with a spectacle, it's blinding for a moment. Lik Heng's mouth became agape.

His Persona was a tall, almost thread-like figure, the face of a fair maiden was completely covered by an icy veil, no hairs or anything representing it present. The veil prolonged well beyond the head, twisting into a nice cloak by the neck, the ends at the backside split like a nice tailcoat, sporting patterns mesh of butterfly wings and stained glass. From the torso downwards, the figure was cast in a trunk-thick, yet glittering ice.

It doesn't speak, but Lik Heng and even the others heard an echo amongst their thoughts, pronouncing itself as _Morgan le Fay_ before it poofs into a card, and drifts into Lik Heng's soul. Alongside came newfound knowledge; how to fight, what skills and stats his Persona had, and something...some kind of power or ability he has. He couldn't exactly explain _what_ it was, but he just _knew_ about it.

He was more confused and surprised about the Arcana he seemed to receive, he was still frowning, though he shouldn't have any reason to. There was no mistake, it's the same card from Persona 4 after all. He saw The Devil float into him, and he felt the Devil Arcana giving him some rush of power within. Lik Heng didn't know anything about the Arcanas or what they meant, and out of everyone he could ask, Yu Narukami—leader of the Investigation Team—first came to mind.

No—he shook his head at the thought—he wouldn't have enough points in courage to bring it up.

"In fact, he just awakened to it." Alice said, Lik Heng almost screams when he realized the girls were now directly behind him, Alice stifles a laugh but the smile doesn't leave, "I apologize for scaring you."

"Alright, I'll send the coordinates through Kazeon. There's something else, aside from the whole keyword shit. We should talk about it after we save our second Outsider." Lik Heng noticed that the thunderstorm lit up whenever Rise spoke, it was cute, but he didn't get to enjoy it much after it clears up and turns to an arrow composed of a lightning bolt. It points at a direction. Then he realized.

"Second Outsider?" He says out loud by accident.

Reimu nods, her expression doesn't change much, but it seems brighter than before. "I need to catch you up regardless. You see, while we were making ways to you, our Team B's navigator, if you will, discovered that Yukari decided to went ahead and sent another Gappy here. Mind you, it's something she never does, so it's very peculiar of her."

Lik Heng was more wondering what the whole _Gappy_ thing was about, Rise seemed to refer to people from the Outside World as such; Outsiders. Why _Gappy_? Then he realises what it meant.

The girls watched his face melt into more than just a frown; disappointment clear as day. "Wh-Wha...? But...but Yukari... But Yukari said that—"

"Yeah, well, Yukari's a _bitch_." Marisa interrupted with way too much enthusiasm, the words felt so... _weird_ coming from her, least to Lik Heng's eyes, but here she was; puffing her chest in pride. ("Yukari... I kept telling her... Those... _Americans_ was it? They've really been a bad influence on Marisa..." He heard Alice mutter beneath her mouth, shaking her head unamused, Reimu only nods in response with a big smile. _Is she...proud of Marisa...?_ ) "The old hag knows what to say to get on your good side."

Lik Heng's groan didn't go unnoticed, no matter how hard he hid it. Yukari's 'betrayal' felt worse than the truth his Shadow showed. Should he not be here then? She brought someone else so soon to replace him. No, perhaps she's just got something deeper planned? He trusted her, as she did with him. Yes, that's got to be it.

"We best be going," said Alice, mostly to Reimu and Marisa than towards Lik Heng. "We shouldn't keep them waiting."

Reimu and Marisa come to an agreement, and they set towards the skyline following Alice's compass. Lik Heng followed soon after Marisa calls out to him.

Lik Heng hoped for some conversation on the journey after he shyly squeaked his name and nickname when Reimu remembered he hadn't done so yet. After that, the girls paced ahead of him a few meters, back in his thoughts once again, head hung low. The girls hardly made little talk even between themselves, making the trip even more awkward only to Lik Heng. He considered speaking up about anything, but his attempts were lost in a mess of mumbles.

Even after accepting himself, there were interesting conversations playing in his imagination.

It always goes better in his head.

* * *

[AN]

Originally this chapter tackled both character's dungeons, but it felt too long so it's being split into two instead, rendering the whole odd-even chapter gimmick pointless. Unfortunate, but it was just a gimmick so it's not that big of a deal. The next chapter shouldn't take too long since it's already drafted out, for the most part, ideally, it shouldn't take longer than two weeks.


End file.
